I knew how unladylike I appeared with my mouth hanging wide open, but my father's words were disgusting. As terrible as my father had treated me in the past, he never verbalized his actions. Hearing it out loud did something to me. He was a master at making me feel like a scolded child, causing me to hide. As if I deserved his wrath.
But his words were the shot of caffeine with a side of empowerment that I needed. I was awakened from my manipulated slumber.
I stood. "Thanks, Dad, I needed that. You're right. I need to grow up."
"Where are you going? I'm not done talking to you, Heidi."
"Don't you know? I'm taking your advice. What was it you said back in May when I begged you to help me, which you used as an opportunity to take advantage of my vulnerable situation? Oh, that's right . . . You told me how I was never good under pressure. Well, now is a great time for me to work on that, Dad. I'm walking away instead of making a scene."
"I never used you, Heidi." My father tried his best to laugh but it was obviously forced.
"I was lost for so long. I was a daughter who needed a loving father to help her through life. But I got you, instead. I reached out to you so many times, but you would only ever lend a hand when you could gain something from it. Here's the thing, Dad, I'm not lost anymore."
I turned, and after a few steps, I noticed Attorney General Fitzwilliam and a few men in suits move toward us with eyes set on my father.
"I'm your father, Heidi. You can't treat me like that." My father stood as I stopped and gazed back at him. His face was red and for the first time, he seemed small. All the power he had collected over the years had aged him. He's not the man I made him out to be. I had told myself he did all this to protect his family, but that's not true. It was to protect himself. The only thing he loved more than money and power was himself.
"That's the thing, Dad, I don't care because I am completely done talking to you." Several eyes focused on me. "I have played your game for so long, and it took a gentleman with calloused hands and a big heart to show me that I'm better than that. I'd rather not have a single cent to my name and have love surround me with Max and his family, then spend one more second in the twisted life you enmeshed our family. No more bribes or threats or favors. I'm your daughter, not a political enemy. You should love me for who I am, not because it can gain you a vote or line your pockets with more money that you don't even need. Until you can understand that, Dad, I don't think I can see you anymore."
Taking a deep, liberating breath, I walked away. I made it a few steps before I heard the attorney general's voice behind me. "Senator White, these men are to escort you away. There have been charges filed against you. You are wanted for fraud, improper use of campaign funds, bribery, and various corruption charges. Come with us."
People gasped. I heard my father sputter that there was some mistake, but I knew he wouldn't struggle or make a scene. He was too proud to do that.
As a caring daughter, I should run to him, but he had chipped away at that love for a long time. Like I told him moments ago, I was done. Am I surprised he was being arrested? No. Did I care? Yes. He's still my father, but right now I needed to be free from his sick life.
I left the ballroom and shoved past the reporter from earlier. He must have known something was to go down here tonight with my father. Why else would a reporter convince his newspaper to send him to a five-thousand-dollar-a-plate gala?
When I strolled into the kitchen, it was partly back to order. Water wasn't spraying anywhere, and the affected area was small, forcing the staff to only use three-quarters of the kitchen instead of the whole thing. I found Max with his tuxedo jacket off, his bowtie removed, and the top of his shirt unbuttoned with his sleeves rolled up.
His hands were wet, greasy, and I didn't think I had ever seen him look sexier. I'd run up and give him a big kiss, but he was leaning against a counter talking to a man and a woman. Recognition enveloped me like a wet blanket as I realized the woman he was talking to was Nadyia Goldman.
As much as I loved Max, I hoped he would still speak to me after I embarrass him while fangirling all over Nadyia.
"Oh my God, your Nadyia Goldman! I am such a huge fan. I knew you would win when you were on Chef Apprentice. You were the best baker by far in that competition." I flapped my hands in front of myself to add that little extra touch of humiliation to our exchange.
She smiled. Her smooth, dark, and might I add, glowing skin crinkled around her eyes. "That was fun to do. But my fellow bakers challenged me. I think we each brought something to the table, and I am a better baker for it."
She's humble, too. I loved her. "If I weren't straight, I'd marry you. And we'd live in a house you baked to perfection." As everyone's eyes widened, I leaned over to Max and whispered, "I said that out loud, didn't I?"
"Yup."
Ugh. I covered my face with my hands.
"You're Senator White's daughter, aren't you? Heidi, right?" the man said in a blatant attempt to gloss over the fact that I just proposed marriage to a stranger with promises of baked goods.
Lowering my hands, I gave a meek nod. "Yes, he's being arrested right now. The attorney general is taking him away."
"What?" everyone said at once.
"My father. He's wanted by the FBI. They're taking him away in handcuffs."
"Excuse me." The man shuffled past me and out the double doors of the kitchen.
"Are you okay?" I felt a warm hand on my back and the weight of the evening vanished as I gazed up into those gorgeous blue eyes.
Max. The man I loved. The man who loved me. The man that woke me from my terrible dream.
"I think I'm in shock, actually. We fought right before he was arrested. Maybe that's why I have no filter right now." I twisted the corner of my mouth before turning toward Nadyia. "I'm sorry for the marriage proposal . . . Don't tell your boyfriend or significant other, please. I wouldn't want them to think I was coming on to you."
Nadyia rolled her eyes, and it was surprisingly endearing. "Wish I had time for a boyfriend. I think I take all my sexual frustrations out on my baked goods."
I coughed as Max's body stiffened in my embrace.
"I said that out loud, didn't I?" Nadyia said as a bead of sweat rolled down her brow.
"Yes, you did. We should team up and go on tour. The no-filter, traveling, uh—"
"Pastry chefs!" Max added.
Warmth bloomed on my face. "She's the chef, I've just gone to pastry school."
"Really? Where did you go?" Nadyia stepped closer.
"I was in The Academy of Cuisine pastry program but didn't complete it. I didn't have a chance to do an apprenticeship." I waved my hand acting like it wasn't a big deal.
But it was all an act. I longed to delve into baking full time. Not just play around in my kitchen. But Nadyia didn't want to be bored with my sad tale.
"It's funny you should mention that . . . I am in need of an apprentice for the new bakery I am opening here next year. Would you be interested in applying?"
I gasped and glanced up at Max to see if this was a joke. Did he convince Nadyia to play a trick on me?
"Are you serious? But you don't even know me or my baking skills."
She nodded. "You are right. I know you planned to attend a gala tonight, but if you want, you can show me your skill here. Some of the desserts were ruined in the leak. Would you be interested in helping me replace them?"
I clutched my chest, unable to fathom what was happening.
"I would love to help." I turned to Max. "Do you mind if I do this?"
"Do I mind if you make your dream come true? Now, what sort of boyfriend would I be if I said no?" He cupped my face gently in his hands. "I want nothing but your happiness, Heidi. I thought when we first met that you were too beautiful, too perfect, and too wealthy to be with a guy like me. And now that I have you in my arms, I am content. You, Kat, and being able to run my own business fills me with joy. Now it's your turn to understand that joy. Go, bake your h
eart out." He slipped a chaste kiss across my lips.
"You know I will now make a special dessert for you." I wiggled my eyebrows at him.
Max wiggled his eyebrows back. "Only if I can fix all your pipes."
"You two are weird. And I'm totally jealous." Nadyia laughed before heading toward the oven.
"Weird, dirty, and full of love. The perfect relationship," I mentioned to Max just before he leaned down again. But this time, the kiss was anything but chaste.
Chapter 18
Max
5 months later
"WHAT'S THE WEATHER forecast in Mexico?"
I stared at the lump of blankets on Heidi's bed but remained at a safe distance across the room.
"I'm not going to Mexico. What do I care what the forecast will be?" There's a rough edge to Heidi's muffled voice.
"Come on. You have to help me out. What sort of dad am I if I can't tell stupid dad jokes?"
A loud groan rose from the bed and seconds later, the comforter flipped away. An aroma filled the air, and I covered my nose—a smell so powerful that my eyes began to water, and I couldn't escape it. My girlfriend who has been marinating for three days in ratty, unwashed flannel pajamas with flying donuts on them was making me cry.
"I don't know, what's the weather in Mexico, Max?" Heidi lay there and stared at the ceiling.
"Chili today and hot tamale! Huh. What do you think?" I added to the ridiculousness of the joke by shaking my hands, jazz-hands style.
"Wow. That's terrible. And not only that, but it might even be a little offensive. I'm a senator's daughter, I know what might come off as objectionable."
I stiffened. The last thing I wanted to remind her of were her parents.
She flung her arm over her eyes and began to wail. Shit. I messed this all up.
Her father's trial ended on Monday. Heidi watched as he was driven off to jail. Her mother's hearing was scheduled for next month, and she was currently on house arrest.
Heidi tried to visit her mom several times, but she refused to see her daughter. By Monday evening, Heidi had locked herself in her room only ordering from Bake & Take and calling in sick to work.
She sat up abruptly, causing the bed to rattle and another puff of Heidi's essence burned my nostrils.
"It's Thanksgiving, isn't it?" she asked.
"Yes, that's why I think it's time to get out of bed and come downstairs. Preferably, after you've showered," I whispered the last part under my breath.
I loved Heidi, and the last half of this year had been the greatest of my life. But even I had my limits—scent limits. As in, I could only get so close to someone who smelled like a week-old trash can.
"I'm going to be an orphan, Max. This will be the last Thanksgiving I will have with a parent. A parent who won't even see me." Tears fell again, and I raced toward her. I held my breath as my arms wrapped around her shaking frame.
"Technically, you won't be an orphan."
With a large intake of breath, she pulled back. "I'll have no parents in two weeks. That's means I'm an orphan."
I gasped for air only to swallow her rancid breath.
When Kat was a baby, I had changed many a terrible diaper. Her entire backside—up to her neck—was once covered in poop after a long car ride. I had to change and clean her in a convenience store parking lot in the height of summer using only napkins from a fast-food restaurant. But never had the smell been so foul that I gagged and wondered if I would make it to the bathroom in time to throw up . . . until this moment.
I turned my head until the nausea subsided. Then I pushed back, sitting on the far end of her bed and out of her stink radius.
"Number one, you're an adult. And number two, your parents aren't dead. Those would both have to be true for you to be an orphan."
There was a knock on the door.
"Go away," Heidi shouted just as I yelled, "Come in."
The door creaked, and my father popped his head. A limp smile curved his lips. "Would it be okay if a regretful old man came in to . . . oh God, what's that smell?" My father's hand covered his nose.
I stared at my dad shaking my head. Now was not the time to inform Heidi that she required a bath, maybe two . . . okay, three for good measure while her clothes were incinerated.
"What smell?" I asked as I widened my eyes at my father, hoping he would get the hint.
"Oh, uh, nothing. I think it was me. I farted . . ." He bobbed his head as if making sure that he had indeed farted.
"Good to know, Dad."
My father opened the door and winced. But, like the strong Brighton man he was, he raised his chin and pretended the air wasn't poisonous. "I wanted to apologize, Heidi, again."
"You didn't mean to inform the FBI about my parents' dealings with the notorious terrorist Emma Hawthorne? Or, how my father had been using money from his Children's Hope charity for his reelection campaign. Or how he went in with the strip club owner and my ex-husband to use that business as a front to bring in funds and arms for Emma Hawthorne's organization. You didn't mean to tell them any of that?" Heidi said as more tears trailed down her cheeks.
My father hung his head. "In my defense, my plumbing buddies who did time in prison only knew about the charity thing. The Feds found out the other stuff themselves."
Heidi stood, and both my dad and I turned our heads to avoid the stink blast. "Then do you care to explain how Mr. Willis got arrested, too? It's not like the man was ever nice to your son. I thought my dad was bad and that you were different, Mr. Brighton, but I was wrong. You also go after the people who've hurt you. Like what you do doesn't have an effect on the people around you. The only difference between you and my father is that you did it legally."
"You're right," he said, and I stood to protest but my father waved me off. "I'll be downstairs making sure Kat doesn't get into anything."
It hurt to watch my dad slump his shoulders in defeat and leave. I knew he had done what he felt was best for his family, the people he loved, and his country. But, when it came out during coverage of the trial that he was one of the informants, Heidi stopped speaking to him.
"He's still my dad, Max. He may be going to jail, and he's definitely not a good father, but he's family. I still love him. I know what he did was wrong, but I never realized he took it that far. I just thought he made a few shady deals but nothing like what he's been found guilty of."
"I understand. But that's my father walking downstairs brokenhearted because he hurt a woman he cares about. It was never his intention to make you unhappy. You're one of the reasons he called the FBI. He couldn't sit by and watch your parents treat you the way they had."
There was silence for a moment. I reached for her hand and was relieved when she squeezed mine.
"I'm mad at myself, not your father. There must have been signs. I feel so stupid. No one is that corrupt without his own family figuring it out. And here I am, his daughter, only thinking he made people do what he wanted because they needed something from him. It's not right, but nothing I witnessed was ever illegal. Sure, he gave terrible advice about things that would be illegal, but I guess I wanted to be blind to the reality. If anyone should hate someone, it should be everyone despising me."
"No one could hate you. Besides, the authorities already questioned you. They found nothing that would implicate you. It's not like you had anything to hide, like your parents. You just so happened to be raised by terrible people."
"But that's all I know."
I squeezed her hand. "Not anymore. Now you have a new family."
She smiled for the first time in weeks and I leaned in to kiss her but stopped myself as my nose burned. "Why don't you go clean up and come downstairs? Everyone is waiting."
She lowered her nose toward her armpit and her eyes crossed. "Oh God, I smell terrible. You should have said something." She backed away and scurried into her bathroom.
I went downstairs and waited with Kat and my dad for Heidi. After about fifteen minutes, I heard her com
e down the stairs. When she walked into the room, her mouth opened and her hands clasped in front of her. "What is that?"
"A new state-of-the-art, dual range, chef's oven," I said and waved my hand to introduce Heidi to her new appliance.
"I never ordered that. Where did it come from?" She couldn't take her eyes off the blue and silver oven.
I waved my other hand at my father.
"From me," he said as he stepped forward. "I had some old things that were just gathering dust, lying around the house, so I looked up how much they were worth. Apparently, a lot. So, I sold them. And it was the strangest thing . . . After I deposited the checks into my account, I had the urge to buy an oven. But what would an old man who only knows how to boil hot dogs want with a big fancy oven? Then I thought of you."
My father barely got the last word out as it caught in his throat. Tears were falling once again from Heidi's eyes, but this time, it wasn't from sadness, but from love.
I remembered my father announcing last month that he was selling Great-Granddad's watch and Grandma's tea set. I thought he had lost it. I wondered if I should make a doctor appointment for him. But when he mentioned buying an oven for Heidi, I knew it wasn't his brain that was breaking, but his heart.
"Why is everyone crying?" Kat asked. "Aren't you happy you got an oven?"
Heidi nodded before throwing her arms around my father.
"I'm so sorry." He hiccupped as he embraced the woman I loved.
"There's nothing to forgive. I'm sorry for blaming you to begin with. It's my parents' fault, they did this and should be punished for it. You only told the truth."
Kat grew impatient, and she shooed me off as I tried to hold her back from opening the oven.
"Did she find it yet, Dad?"
"Find what?" Heidi still had an arm around my father as she turned toward Kat.
"The gheuht—" I clasped a hand over Kat's mouth before she could finish the word.
"I gave you something as well." I kept my hand over Kat's mouth.
Dirty Secret Page 12